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Native Plant Society of Texas

Common Persimmon

Diospyros virginiana

Other common name(s):

Eastern Persimmon, Possumwood, Date Plum, Winter Plum, Jove's Fruit

Family:

Ebenaceae (Ebony Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

This map uses data from the US EPA. EPA  servers have been offline frequently so maps may not display. We are working on a solution.

Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Limestone Cut Plain
Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Llano Uplift
Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Southern Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Tree

Height

15
to
80
ft.

Spread

20
to
35
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Calcareous, Clay, Loam, Moist, Rich, Sand

Light Requirement

Sun

Water Requirement

Medium

Native Habitat

Disturbed Areas, Grassland, Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Green, Yellow

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Fall Color, Forage, Fruit, Larval Host

Wildlife Benefit

Bees, Birds, Moths, Small Mammals

Maintenance

Aromatic, understory tree, accent tree. Under poor conditions, the tree may maintain a 15-foot shrub-like appearance. Can be used for erosion control. Two trees are necessary for the production of fruit. It can be grown as an ornamental or fruit tree in the home landscape, or in naturalized areas for wildlife. Can be placed in many types of gardens: a butterfly, children’s, native, nighttime, pollinator, or rain garden. Provides attractive fall color. Leaf spot may occur. Fruit drop can be messy. Mature trees produce root suckers that can become a weed problem. Native habitat: forests, seasonally flooded bottomlands, dry ridgetops, abandoned agricultural land.

Description

Blooms April-June. The bark is dark reddish brown, deeply furrowed and irregularly blocky. Leaves are oval to eliptic. Persimmons are dioecious, meaning there are separate male and female trees, and you need both to get fruit. Flowers are solitary or 2-3-flowered cymes, borne on twigs of current season. The fruit is a berry, yellow to orange or dark red, round to oblong, Larval host: Luna Moth (Actias luna).
Previous Scientific Name(s): Diospyros mosieri, Diospyros virginiana var. mosieri, Diospyros virginiana var. platycarpa, Diospyros virginiana var. pubescens, Diospyros virginiana var. pubescens

References

Learn about how to propagate Texas native plants.

Material Treatment Method Collection References
Seed Stratification Stratify seeds in moist peat for 30-60 days at 36-41 degrees. Or the simplest method is to sow seed in situ, or in a nursery bed, in the fall. If you have a large quantity of seed this method works great, but for smaller quantities I opt for the refrigerator method. Seedlings grow slowly. American persimmon trees grown from seed, however, can take anywhere from 4-8 years to bear. Fruit ripens to bright orange in late Septemter to November. Clean fruit immediately to prevent mold and fermentation. Air-dry seeds and store in sealed, refrigerated containers. 1) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=DIVI5 2) https://thefruitnut.com/storing-and-stratifying-american-persimmon-seeds/#:~:text=Step%20%231:,Moist%20but%20not%20soaked.
Root Cutting Bury root cuttings in moist sand over winter and lift when shoot is well developed. https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=DIVI5
Stem Cutting Single-node stem (leaf-bud) cuttings collected from root suckers root much better than longer cuttings from the same source. Rooting at the early stage of the growing season results in a much higher rooting rate than that obtained in cuttings rooted at later stages of the growing season. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304423817307744#:~:text=kaki%20(Hejazi%20et%20al.%2C,(2013).

About the Region

2026 Fall Symposium Logo

This low-elevations region of Texas extends inland from the barrier islands, about 60 or so miles, and stretches from Brownsville to Louisiana. In total, it covers about 9.5 million acres, with a high point of 150 feet in elevation. More than 1000 species of plants can be found in this region. On the southern end, species more common in Mexico (such as Sabal mexicana) and Central America occur.

The barrier islands provide us with dune systems, and clay flats to the inland side, which have species found in these areas alone. Many plants here, such as Ipomoea pes-caprae (beach morning glory), can be found throughout tropical regions of the globe. I’ve encountered the same species on the beaches of Guam.

Once inland, vast marshes and wet prairies occur. Occasionally, oak (Quercus fusiformis) groves can be found. Common grasses include species of Bothriochloa, Paspalum, and Sporobolus; eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides); and switchgrass (Panicum species). Many rivers and creeks cut through the Gulf Prairies, and along these riparian areas various species of trees, Sabal minor, and other plants adapted to clay soils can be found. Due to overgrazing, farming, and fire suppression, woody species such as mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and invasive species such as chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) have increased and displaced our native flora.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason